Sunny skies and temperatures in the 70’s made for lots of beach and exploration time in the Fort Myers area. We visited as far north as Punta Gorda and south to North Naples. Moving west we took day trips to Pine Island, Sanibel and Captiva.
The Christmas Season in sunshine felt fake but certainly enjoyable. We took a day trip to check out Punta Gorda and strolled and shopped at Fisherman’s Village, the downtown area and Harborwalk. The city was beautifully decorated and an easy place to walk around. Car rental expired and still needed provisions, no problem, Walmart delivers right to the boat.Once again, traveling allowed us to connect with family we have not seen in years. It was a great time catching up with Bob’s cousin Steve and meeting his girlfriend, Michelle. Special thanks to Michelle, who treated us to course after course of local fare. Popped into Riptide Brewery in Naples, Florida. A casual surfer vibe and great selection on tap, especially the Rip Light. Without a doubt the most unique place we have checked out and it was technically a grocery store. Seed to Table features several restaurants, bars, live entertainment and sells everything you would expect to buy at a supermarket. Imagine pushing your cart around a Trader Joes on steroids, while drinking a wine from a wine glass and listening to live music. The selection of fruits, cheeses and bakery items was unbelievable. The meat department sells single serving cuts of beef that you can take home or move to the next line and have them cooked to order. Since we are always looking for new places to check out, we joined a craft beverage club. Taking advantage of one December’s BOGO offers led us to The Standard at Downtown Fort Myers. The man next to us introduced himself, and seemed a little shocked we did not recognize his name. It turned out, he was the mayor of Fort Myers. Although, we were not as impressed as he hoped, we enjoyed our conversation with him. It was interesting to learn so many tidbits and facts about the area.Christmas Eve celebration was quite different from our usual hosting of family on the Lane. We certainly enjoyed the nice weather and started our festivities with a drink at the Naughty Mermaid followed by dinner at Front Porch Social. Santa found us at the Westin in Cape Coral!Christmas dinner prepared by Zach was amazingly delicious!Santa brought the boys a chartered inland fishing trip. Captain Griff brought the three of them to his favorite spots and caught a little bit of everything including: Sheepshead, Trout, Snapper and lots of other unique fish. They came home with plenty of keepers for a taco night back at the hotel and extra for the boat freezer. Pepper Mae loves the water and needed a day at the beach. Off we went to Bonita Beach Dog Beach which is located along the edge of Lover’s Key State Park. Since it was high tide, we needed to wade through some water to arrive at this off lease beach where dogs could run and jump in the Gulf of Mexico and owners could sit on white sand. Crystal clear water shows how much hair covers Pepper Mae.Traditions continue, just miniature versions.What is not to love about Captiva, beautiful white sand beaches, small shops, restaurants and a low chill vibe. We visited both Turner Beach and Bowman’s Beach, had drinks on the beach at Mucky Duck Restaurant and shopped at Captiva Village Square. After seeing the devastation of Hurricane Ian on Sanibel Island it was nice to condition of this island. After talking to some locals it seems the direction of the wind helped to spare a large part of the island. This was without a doubt a winner for the brewery tour! The Crazy Dingo Brewery Co is located on Southern Fresh Farms. This is the most unique brewery we have visit being entirely outdoors, on an active farm, cooperative gardening, a retail store with the farm’s produce, food trucks and livestock. The beer pavilion provides shade and a stage for bands. Between the three of us we tried all their beers with Santa’s Ale, a Mint Chocolate Milk Stout earning the most flavorful. The Working Farm: a hoppy, hazy IPA and Horchata: A brown ale with vanilla and cinnamon were close seconds. Along with new solar panels, other boat upgrades were completed during our stay at Fort Myers. Our old outdated anchor was replaced to help with better holding in the soft sand. We took down the isinglass and canvas panels on the fly bridge to enjoy the sunshine a little more. We have been holding out, but with the threat of no internet or phone service in the Bahamas, Starlink is now onboard. Our stay in Fort Myers had a bit of stress when on Day 5 the marina dockmaster knocked on our door and told us, “We needed to leave, ASAP” It seemed the co-owners of the facility were in a little tiff and all leases were being voided. After multiple phone calls, we learned what we already knew, there was no room at any inn! Most marinas in the area were not rebuilt after Hurricane Ian and if they were, they were full or had no power and water. In the end, we stayed. We were the only transients and knew once the lawyers settled the dispute out between the owners, we would be long gone. It was such a shame that so many boaters were displaced. In an area still recovering from horrific hurricane damage, this was one of the few marinas fully rebuilt. So sad, that folks can’t work out their issues.
